This invention relates to a method of and means for passively cooling a shelter containing a heat source and located in a diurnal environment which is periodically hotter and cooler than the interior of the shelter.
A shelter located in a diurnal environment which is periodically hotter and cooler than the interior of the shelter, and which has an external and internal heat load is termed herein, a shelter of the type described. A shelter housing electrical communication equipment as a part of a communication relay station remotely located in a tropical environment is an example of a shelter of the type described. In such case, hot ambient air, as well as sunshine, constitute the external heat load on the shelter, while electronic equipment housed within the shelter constitutes the internal heat load. Reliability of electronic communication equipment is assured only if the temperature in the interior of the shelter is maintained within predetermined limits. For this reason, a heavily insulated shelter is employed and day-time cooling is required because of the internal and external heat load. At night, some cooling is also necessary due to the internal heat load.
Conventionally, active cooling systems, such as conventional air-conditioning units, have been employed to cool remotvely located shelters of the type described. Active cooling requires the generation of power in excess of that necessary to drive the electronic equipment. In order to reduce power consumption, it would be very desirable to eliminate the extra load imposed on the power generator by the shelter cooling system. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of and means for passively cooling a shelter of the type described without using any source of energy apart from the natural difference in temperature between the environment and the interior of the shelter.